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Kurt Pinkman
Kurt Pinkman is an extrahuman with the power of superhuman speed. He is a member of the Rhoades Institute, and was in fact the second member recruited. He is cheerful, enthusiastic, and bursting with energy. Description Appearance Kurt is a young man that stands about 5'09", with a slim, athletic build and shaggy, dirty blonde hair with brown eyes. He dresses simple and casually, mostly aiming for comfort and practicality over fashion. Brimming with energy, Kurt is almost always moving in some capacity; he hums, twiddles his fingers, taps his feet, chews on pen caps, paces, and so on. Personality Optimistic and affable, Kurt is friendly and an all-around good guy. He likes people and does his best to be social, but has trouble connecting with others due to the alteration of his perception causes by his ability. This can lead him to be impatient and unobservant as his attention begins to wander before too long, which can sometimes make him come across as rude. When compounded with his tendency to ramble, and his inability to keep his mouth shut, some see Kurt as a jerk. The truth is that he does his best to listen and be a good friend. The problem is that everyone else is so damn slow. He always sees the glass half-full. He believes the best in people and is maybe more trusting or idealistic than he should be. He is friendly and welcoming to new members of the Institute, and hopes to use his ability to help others one day. He is confident with his powers (maybe a little overconfident) and has a tendency to be a show-off. Kurt is, by his own admission, a part of the counterculture movement. He dislikes conformity and the "Leave it to Beaver" ideal. He's irreverent and is a strong supporter of Civil Rights and Women's Rights. He loves music and art, and accompanies the Doctor to a movie night bi-weekly. He loves paintings and photography, able to look at art for hours on end. Music is the same; he has a natural ear for music. He wanted to learn how to play the guitar before the emergence of his powers. Starving for new experiences, he is an avid reader and a self-described "adrenaline junkie"'; anything to distract from the boredom of a world that moves slower than him. Biography Background Kurt was born the middle child to Chuck and Lenore Pinkman, a family of farmers in Hawkeye, Iowa. A former United States Marine, Chuck worked as a farmer while his mother mostly tended to the house. Despite Chuck's alcoholic tendencies, he was a good father, and always went out of his way to play with them and teach them "how to be men". Kurt admired his father, even if they didn't always see eye to eye. When he was seven years old, his powers manifested while playing tag with his brother and father. He appeared two counties over; he had run more than 20 miles in less than a minute. From this point, he was monitored by his family and spent some time as the local hospital, undergoing tests that always came out inconclusive. He spent most of his time wandering around with his friends from school, often riding their bikes out to the cornfields or wooded areas at the edge of town, where they would camp or fish. Kurt was not allowed to play on any sports teams, due to his "condition". When he was sixteen, his crush (Marie Spencer) confessed that he liked him back and kissed him behind the oak tree next to the Lutheran church. This caused him to start vibrating, and he phased through the oak tree. Everybody saw what he could do; Heidi's father, the Lutheran minister, declared he was possessed by the devil. Long story short, he wasn't able to stay in Hawkeye, for his safety and the safety of his family. He ran away from home, living as a vagrant for the next few years. Things just kept getting slower until, as Kurt described it, he was "living between the ticks of a clock". Only three years passed, but they felt like an eternity. He read book after book, looked at art, traveled around the country. His favorite place was Seattle; there was something about the area and the city that attracted him. In late December of 1967, Kurt was in St. Louis when he was discovered and approached by Dr. Alexander Rhoades and Franklin Dodds. Dr. Rhoades explained that he wanted to help Kurt control and his ability, and despite Kurt's initial skepticism, he figured he had nothing to lose and accepted the offer. Over the next five months, despite many challenges and setbacks, Kurt and the Doctor have worked hard and gotten Kurt to a point where he can actually go into public and experience time relatively normally. In turn, Kurt is the happiest he has ever been. Involvement For a full record of Kurt's involvement in the campaign, see the episode guide. Appearances Volume 1 * Chapter 1x01 - A Girl in Reno * Chapter 1x02 - Spellbound Relationships Anna Babin While they haven't known each other very long, Kurt and Anna hit it off pretty much right away. They are both playful counterculture kids, and have a lot in common in terms of music and literature. They get along famously, and Kurt thinks Anna is a really groovy chick. He hopes she stays around. Dr. Alexander Rhoades Kurt respects Doctor Rhoades immensely. The first person to really understand his power and the only one to really try to help him cope with it, Kurt sees Doctor Rhoades almost like a big brother. While he dislikes certain aspects of his therapy, Kurt does grasp the importance of keeping with the program Rhoades has laid out for him. The way he sees it, he owes Rhoades everything. Franklin Dodds Kurt playfully teases and antagonizes Franklin, though in truth he really likes Franklin. He genuinely cares about Franklin and despite all of their difference, the fact that they were the only two members of the Institute for months has allowed them to get to know each other quite well. In Kurt's own words, the guy is grumpy but a teddy bear. Character Information Paraphernalia * Lighter: '''This gold zippo lighter is emblazoned with the logo for Easy Company, the nickname for the 101st Airborne company of marines; the military unit in which his father served during World War II. The lighter is his most treasured possession and he always has it on his person. * '''Pocket Knife: While not especially intimidating as a weapon, it is very useful as a survival tool. It is capable of cutting branches from trees, whittling wood, cooking, gutting fish and a number of other useful tasks. It comes with a can opener, a compass, a nail file, a cork-screw and three sizes of alan wrench. * Sun Glasses: Kurt always has a pair of sun glassess with him in the field, in case they face an evolved human with a power dependant of eye contact. You never know. Background - Rural ''' * '''Wanderer: '''You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, towns and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth. '''Proficiencies * Skills: '''Animal Handling, Coordination, Endurance, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth, Survival * '''Tools: Farm Tools, Woodworking Tools, Land Vehicles * Merits: Diehard, Parkour, Nimble''' ' '''Powers' Superhuman Speed ''' * '''Hyper-Acceleration: '''The human brain is normally keyed to a 24 hour cycle, called a circadian rhythm. This regulates the cycle of bodily functions, including sleep, metabolism, and aging. Most of this function is centered in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, near the hypothalamus. The nucleus has a set number of neurons available to it. Kurt's nucleus is enlarged, causing him to observe time in a differentiated frame. * '''Enhanced Durability: '''His body has adapted to the rigors of superhuman movement, and thus his body recovers at a highly increased rate. He is capable of resisting tremendous impact forces that could easily crush and kill a human without suffering any serious external or internal injuries. * '''Enhanced Perception: '''Part of Kurt's mutation is that his perception of time slows relative to his speed. The faster he moves, the slower the world around him seems to be. Falling objects take nearly a minute of his own perception to fall a few feet, and things like rain, bullets or flies move slow enough that he can count the rain drops of how many repetitions of a fly's wings beating. He can disarm or jam weapons before his enemy's notice. His mental abilities are also increased. Simple computations can be done at lightning speeds and his ability to process information matches a computer. He can use this ability to read a book in a matter of minutes (or less) and retain every word, though temporary (see below). * '''Speed Physiology: '''Kurt's body is adapted towards the rigors of high-speed running. His cardiovascular and respiratory systems are many times more efficient than those of a normal human being. He metabolizes an estimated 95% of the caloric energy content of foodstuffs (normal humans use about 25%). The chemical processes of Kurt's musculature are so highly enhanced that his body does not generate fatigue poisons, such as lactic acid, the normal by-products of locomotion, which force the body to rest. Rather, his body constantly expels waste products during his accelerated respiration through exhalation. His joints are smoother and lubricated more efficiently than those of a normal human being. His tendons have the tensile strength of spring steel. His bones contain unknown materials significantly more durable than calcium to withstand the dynamic shocks of his feet touching the ground at speeds a human could never achieve or withstand. Kurt's practical reaction time is several times faster than a normal human's and the speed at which his brain processes information is heightened to a level commensurate with his bodily speed, enabling him to perceive his surroundings while traveling at high velocities. His lachrymose is more viscous than normal, thus preventing rapid evaporation and replenishment of surface fluids on his eyeballs under the influence of high wind velocity to occlude his vision. * '''Superhuman Speed: The most obvious advantage of this ability is his ability to move 10 times faster than the average person, clocking speeds of up to 100 miles per hour on average. He is thought to be able to move even faster; according to Doctor Rhoades, his first burst of speed (running more than 20 miles in less than a single minute) would only be possible if he were running at speeds near Mach 1. He can perform routine tasks much faster than most people, such as tying his shoes, writing, eating or even smoking. He has been seen to be able to run fast enough that he can run on the surface of water for a short distance. Weaknesses * Accelerated Metabolism: As his body moves at such an increased speed, Kurt has a metabolism beyond that of an Olympic runner. His body requires approximately 37,500 calories per day; 3 times that of an Olympic swimmer's daily diet. He is constantly snacking and if he goes long enough without eating, his perception becomes fuzzy and his top speed decreases significantly. * ADHD: Kurt has been diagnosed with HKD due to his altered perceptions derived from his increased speed. He has trouble focusing and is easily distracted. He has a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity, and impulsivity. * Memory: '''Kurt's superhuman ability to retain large amounts of information in a short amount of time comes at a price. Using his temporary photographic memory too much in a short time can result in memory loss. Consuming enough alcohol to make him drunk can do the same thing. While his long-term memory seems unaffected, he can have difficulty making and retaining new memories. '''Training Blue Collar - 1 * 'Grounded Perspective: '''Once per session, spend 1 hero point to automatically succeed on a single Knowledge, Personality, or Senses check. * '''Grit: '''Gain a +3 bonus to your Strain threshold. ''Physical - 1 * 'Sports: '''Gain ''Diehard as a bonus merit. * 'Defensive Roll: '''When hit with an attack, spend 2 Strain to make a Dodge check with a bonus equal to your ranks in this power (DC 10 + damage taken). If you succeed, you gain Resistance to that specific attack. Trivia * Kurt loves ''Star Trek and Flash Gordon, and is also a closet comic book nerd. * His favorite band is The Who. Other favorites are The Rolling Stones, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Simon and Garfunkel, Janis Joplin and'' Jimi Hendrix''. * Favorite color is red. * Loves dogs and lizards. * Favorite television show is The Twilight Zone. * Favorite movie is a tie between Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. He also loves Goldfinger and The Great Escape, and has developed a taste for foreign films thanks to Doctor Rhoades. His favorite foreign film is Yojimbo or The Seven Samurai.